low functioning vs high functioning

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I guess this goes back perhaps to the whole idea of girls being able to mimic social situations better than boys.

I was definitely able to get by better in the elementary years, but adulthood was another story. That's when I was diagnosed.

if you don't mind, can you describe why they wanted to boot you out?

Because I kept on getting thrown out of classes for calling out the answers. Really.

I once threw a fit in math class because I got a 96 instead of a 100 on a test.

I used to react to kids bullying me (on rare occasions) by throwing things at them.

I guess I was a "discipline problem" because I kept on doing the same thing that got me thrown out in the first place.

The guidance counselor saw me drawing a "family tree of Man's descent," and thought I was nuts.

^ I think your case kdm1984 clearly illustrates the difficulty in assigning levels. It seems to be based on not how well you do or do not function overall , but whether you have sub areas of difficulty within that .

While level 3 is more obvious . Levels 1 and 2 are not as easy to differentiate. There's no doubt , because of that , level 1s that should be level 2s and vice versa .

Thank you, yes, totally agree!

No. First of all I don't particularly like the Low, moderate, and high functioning labels but I will often use them as I haven't found more appropriate wording that doesn't have the same connotations. The low functioning label can be rather demoralizing. While the High functioning label is often used as a way to diminish our struggles, or suggest we don’t have it as hard as typically considered “low-functioning” autistic. To say that the low functioning folk have a disorder while the higher are just 'different" entirely exacerbates that.

Autism itself is a a different brain structure/wiring. So in that sense, yes we are just different but it has zero bearing on our functionality. All the functionality labels are is a way to say how well an Autistic is able to appear 'normal how well we can conform to the world around us on a general basis. And it is general because each individual's functionality can waver from high to low depending on our emotions and environmental stimulants. Your High , low or moderately functioning autistic is not always going to be that. There are times when I am moderate, times when I am low and times where I am high functioning. They are not separate things.

I believe there are functioning labels. We use them all the time on WP, even if we came up with a more 'correct' term for it, everyone still knows what it is we're talking about. There's no escape from the fact that there ARE high-functioning autistic people, like myself. I am the perfect example of a person on the high-functioning end of the spectrum.

I think I am too unique to fit in a catagory!

20 years ago, if you were able to talk, and you were diagnosed with autism, you were considered "high-functioning."

"Rainman" was considered a "very high-functioning" autistic person in the 1988 movie. Today, I would venture a guess that he would be "level 2," at best.

I think I appear to be normal... Though people sometimes seem to stare at me... As in,... Well, I would somehow stand out in a crowd.

If I howl in the subway, people look at me funny

Yes, but I seem to be looked at funny when I hve not done anything that seems to be unusual...

I wish I could know you----so I can determine whether that statement is correct.

My youngest brother does impersonations of me sometimes. He thinks I walk and act funny, but I don't see myself as any different to anyone else.

Yeah...my brother used to do that, too.

It's part of sibling rivalry, really.

He is excellent at mimiking people. He is 18 years younger then I am.

Mind you. At the moment I may come accross as a bit drunk as I may stagger a little as I am on the fringes of a partial shutdown this evening. Also have heartburn.